But Thinking Makes It So
by Definitely Not Kelly
Summary: Marinette is in high school and fighting Hawk Moth is a lot more challenging than it used to be. What could make it worse than it already is? Having a good portion of Paris resent her and her partner. Being a superhero is a lot harder when the title "hero" becomes subjective to public opinion.
1. Chapter 1

When the time came for Marinette to go to high school, she knew things were going to change, but she hadn't realized to what extent.

Change- in this case- was not a good thing. Change meant Adrien Agreste going back into homeschooling. Change meant Hawk Moth becoming more persistent with taking her Miraculous. Change meant Chat Noir showing up later and less frequently. Halfway into the school year and Marinette was already fed up with change, and most of her free time was spent missing her middle school days where she had a partner she could count on and a boy to make her classroom hours less dull. Her only source of solace came from designing clothes and her friendship with Alya and Nino, but being Ladybug took much more out of her these days than everything else in her life could rejuvenate back into her.

In short: Marinette was pretty miserable.

She sighed as she stood over one of the rooftops of Paris as Ladybug. The city spread out before her in all its glory under the afternoon sun, unlike minutes ago when cars were flipped upside down and trees were toppled over the street from the latest akuma. It was another battle she had to handle all by herself, for the ninth time in two weeks. She could only assume Hawk Moth's latest strategy was to wear her down to pieces, and Chat Noir told her in the past that his personal life was restricting his freedom to come and help her. The past seven months made her aware just how much she relied on Chat Noir not just in battle but in companionship. Purifying villains was just not the same without him, and each time she transformed she hoped she would find a black-clad boy darting from the rooftops to meet her.

She leapt down from the rooftop in the opposite direction she knew the press would come. Her Miraculous started to beep and she knew she'd have to move fast to find somewhere safe to detransform, but the patter of footsteps from the otherwise empty sidewalk stole her attention.

Ladybug made a silent gasp as her heart skipped a beat. The last thing she expected to see was Adrien Agreste running around the corner. He didn't see her at first, too busy looking over his shoulder to realize he was seconds short of crashing into her.

"Adrien!" she called out by instinct, though he only turned in time to see her while he bumped into her. She caught him by gripping onto his arms and prevented their impending fall, and he in turn had his arms cradled between their torsos, his hands curled up into fists against her breasts. They both froze for a second from surprise, then the realization of their close contact made them both blush.

"Hey," Adrien greeted in a quiet rasp, panting from his run. Ladybug nearly jumped at how his voice was lower than she remembered it to be, and on top of that, he was inches taller than he was at the end of middle school. His chin cleared the top of her head and Ladybug could only assume he was about the height Chat Noir stood at now. She edited her Adrien fantasies to note that he would have to lean down rather than just tilt his head to kiss her.

"Adrien! Please, come back here!" The woman's voice sounded from the direction Adrien ran, distracting Ladybug from her reveries. A look of guilt washed over Adrien's face and Ladybug felt her heart jump at the chance to wipe it away. Driven by impulse, she gripped onto Adrien by the waist and swung her yoyo to a chimney, and the model only clung onto her as they lifted off the ground. They both looked down from the rooftop they landed on as Nathalie and the Gorilla kept running through the street in pursuit of their runaway. Adrien attempted to recover his breath and turned to her with a mild smile.

"Thanks, but where are we going, my- uh, Ladybug?"

The superheroine stilled, too surprised by her own actions to notice him stumble over her name. She tried to come up with a destination when her Miraculous beeped again.

Adrien blinked. "Your transformation."

Ladybug felt her heart plummet. She wasn't ready to leave Adrien after finally managing to see him.

"How about there!" Ladybug improvised, her voice an octave higher than intended, and without any clarification she leapt in the direction of her high school with Adrien in tow. The model made no protest, though one glance at his wide-eyed expression told her he was just as surprised as she was by her actions; though, she found a smile too. In less than a minute she brought him inside an empty classroom through an open window. It was only when she set him down that she realized she probably should have asked where it was he was running to, but there was another beep and the tall cupboard by the teacher's desk stole her attention.

"Please excuse me!" She threw herself into the cramped space and slammed the door behind her. The pink flash that followed could undoubtedly be seen from the outside- specifically by Adrien. She felt Tikki place one of her hands on her arm in a comforting gesture while Marinette exhaled a long sigh. This was the closest she'd ever come to revealing herself, and it was with Adrien. Though she imagined some dramatic reunions with him as Marinette, this one went beyond every one of them. Marinette slumped against the back wall of the cupboard and tried to ignore her discomfort. Her foot was planted in some box of assorted office objects and she knew she kicked aside some papers when she jumped in.

"I can leave, if you want me to," Adrien called from outside the darkness, politely ignoring her fiasco. Marinette smiled at Adrien's unfailing kindness and shook her head although he could not see it. She opened her purse and lifted a cookie for Tikki, the kwami taking it from her and munching on it without comment.

"No. I mean, wait. If that's... um... okay with you." She flushed at her clumsy words and shrunk more into the corner of the cupboard. She reminded herself that Adrien thought it was Ladybug inside the doors, so there was no time for her to be her shy middle school self. She cleared her throat. "I probably should help you out of here. I didn't really stop to ask you if you wanted to leave in the first place."

There was a pause. "No, it's okay. I definitely wanted to leave." She could hear the smile in his voice. "And… well, I wouldn't say no to you anyway."

The words stilled her thrumming heart. Had she interpreted that right?

"You wouldn't?" she repeated, unsure. She struggled to keep her voice level.

"No. That is- I, uh, wouldn't." The words were rushed and shy. His voice, despite how it matured, was the smallest she ever heard out of him.

She was going to swoon. Adrien Agreste sounded _nervous._ Around _her_.

She amended the fact to he was nervous around Ladybug, but still kind of her nonetheless.

"So," he began again, filling the silence. "You defeated the akuma?" Marinette hummed an affirmative, though she didn't expect the response to be met with a sigh. Adrien turned bitter. "Chat Noir didn't make it this time either."

"He's trying his best." The protective part of her defended Chat on instinct; it wasn't the first time she had to insist on behalf of her partner. Half of Paris wondered what was the deal with Chat Noir these days, and some journalists had the nerve to ask her if they got in a fight. "I know if he was able to, he would have been there."

At that, she leaned her head back and smiled, wistful, and Adrien's silence incited her emotions to build at the thought of Chat Noir. She wondered where her trusted cat boy was, and she wondered if he knew about every akuma he wasn't able to help catch. It was disheartening when she found herself punning about the villains by herself, with no one else to follow up with puns tens times worse to make her feel better about it. Every time she cast a Miraculous Cure, she would glance to the empty space beside her, her curled fist frozen at her side with no other fist to meet it. A familiar ache settled in her chest at the mental image of Chat Noir's trademark grin.

"I do miss him, though," she admitted softly, surfacing from her thoughts. Tikki brushed against her arm again, and Marinette took it as her cue to transform. She whispered the command and the inside of the cupboard lit up again. Ladybug opened the door in a fresh transformation, though she didn't expect to see Adrien only a foot away from the cupboard once she did. The boy froze, his fingers brushing against his ring while he stared down at her. Ladybug accomplished the exact opposite reaction, sputtering syllables at the sight of him and almost tripping out of the cupboard. She raised her arms once she regained her balance and attempted to redeem herself.

"So, where were you running to? I can bring you there, charge free! Free of charge! Not that I charge, that is." She trailed off with a nervous giggle and inwardly berated herself for her awkwardness.

It took a while longer for Adrien to regain movement. He was giving her that same mystified stare she was familiar with as Marinette, and she could only hope she wasn't found out. Contrary to what she expected, he eventually smiled. Her face warmed as he regarded her with an emotion close to endearment.

"Nowhere in particular." His gaze flitted away. "I just needed to be away. I'm not really allowed out except for business anymore." He took a few steps towards the doorway, though he stopped to look around the room. "It's funny. My friends go here, actually. I wonder what it would have been like to come here."

Her heart squeezed. Ladybug reached an arm out to touch his shoulder, but her nerves got the best of her and she dropped it. He looked back at her just after and smiled. It reminded her of the same boy she discovered in the rain her first day meeting him: the boy who admitted to her that all he wanted was friends. His honesty tugged at her emotions the same way it had then, and Marinette was glad to know that- though he had grown- he hadn't changed in her time not seeing him. At least something was consistent.

"Your friends miss you," she consoled, her gaze soft with affection. "I know they do."

The blonde boy appeared startled by her sureness, but the expression was soon replaced by a grin.

"I envy your friends. They're definitely _lucky_ to know Ladybug without the mask."

Ladybug didn't know where to begin to process the words. Adrien Agreste envied her friends (not knowing he was- somewhat- one of them). Adrien Agreste also made a pun- not as badly as Chat Noir's, but it was a pun nonetheless. She giggled despite herself; her feelings ended up taking precedence.

"I can send some of that luck for you and your friends, if you want." It was an honest offer, though she really wished she could befriend him as Ladybug. There was a strange and undeniable charge drifting in the air between them, unlike anything she ever experienced before. The whisper in the back of her head reminded her that Ladybug shouldn't be friends with Adrien- or anyone for that matter, but especially not Adrien. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't try to reacquaint with him as Marinette, along with Nino and Alya like she knew he wanted. It was impossible for her to do nothing in the face of his loneliness.

The red on his cheeks followed by the fondness in his summer green eyes sealed her fate.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Ladybug made good on her promises. If Adrien stopped to think about it, he really should have expected as much.

It was only the next day when Adrien was taking a break from a photoshoot. He was at the park near his house again, though he managed to break away from the photographer to get a drink of water and sit under the shade of a tree. The Gorilla stood only a few yards away with his back facing him, on the lookout for any park-goers who might attempt to disturb him. Adrien fixated on the grass and tried to ignore him, frowning. He wished the Gorilla wouldn't scare off anyone who dared to walk his way; he was at the point where he even missed Chloe. The boy was starved from any conversation that didn't involve modeling or his education, or worse: lectures on his behavior, as demonstrated by his father last evening.

Adrien Agreste was maneuvering life on a tightrope, and any slip would cause him to lose it. His schedule was busier with many destinations in faraway places, with no time allowed for friends, and Nathalie and the Gorilla hovered over him more than they ever had in the past. Even Plagg, a hedonist to the core who insisted there was never such a thing as too many vacations, began to feel stuffed in by all the travel and scrutiny. It infuriated Adrien when his father recently cited his disappearances as justification for all the control over his life, when Adrien already learned the man had no intention of granting him any sort of freedom while on his best behavior. He didn't know how he was going to make it until he was old enough to leave the mansion.

"Psst! Dude! Behind you!"

Adrien posture jolted to attention, instantly recognizing the hushed voice from behind him. He glanced over at the distracted Gorilla before he peered over his shoulder, and he withheld his sigh of relief when he saw Nino, Alya, and Marinette waving at him from behind the park fence. Still, he beamed, turning his torso to address them with his full attention in an excited whisper.

"Nino? How did you all know I'd be here?"

Marinette blushed, but she leaned forward with the widest smile out of all three of them.

"I, uh, found out through someone else, and we all thought we should stop by and see you."

It didn't take him long to figure out " _someone else"_ meant Ladybug, and if Adrien thought he loved her before, he wasn't sure if he could find another word to capture just how enamored he was ever since yesterday. For all the frustration he had from his father holding an iron grip on his life, he would never find it in him to complain how his lady had an iron grip on his heart.

"So are you coming out to meet us?" Alya asked with a grin. Nino looked past Adrien to the Gorilla, worry evident through his glasses.

"If you can," Nino amended.

Adrien felt the Chat Noir grin creep up on his lips and didn't find it in him to care.

"What are they going to do? Ground me?"

Nino chuckled and shook his head. Adrien stood up and walked over to the fence, then gestured to Nino.

"Can you help me up?"

"Sure, just hurry up, bro." Nino knelt down and wedged his hands through the gaps of the fence, boosting Adrien up once the model stepped on them. The blonde climbed up the rest of the way with astounding agility, and before anyone could offer to help him, he jumped down the rest of the way and landed with the grace of his alter-ego. Alya cheered and Nino offered his fist, which Adrien bumped with his own while laughing.

"Come on!" Marinette urged with a cheeky grin, and the four took off without protest. As for where they were headed, Adrien trusted his friends to lead the way. They filled their escape with constant chatter and frequent glances back, and Adrien decided to turn his phone off midway. He didn't realize why the route was so familiar until they stopped in front of the zoo.

"This brings back memories," Adrien commented with a grin, his eyes drifting to Nino. His best friend folded his arms.

"Funny to think we were all there." Nino exchanged knowing looks with Alya, then she shook her head with a laugh.

"Figures that Ladybug would play matchmaker on top of being a superhero, right? Except now Nino is busy being in a long-distance relationship with you, as he keeps complaining." The journalist smirked as she punctuated each of her last words for emphasis, inciting a sour purse of the lips from her bespectacled partner.

"I was just pointing out it's _totally_ ridiculous I can never see my friend, who lives _fifteen minutes_ away from me."

Adrien and Marinette watched the two bicker with quiet laughter. The blonde waited with her as she lingered a few steps back while Alya and Nino continued their banter all the way into the zoo. He caught her glancing up at him before directing her attention straight ahead, though the smile never left her lips. A gentle pink tinged her cheeks and Adrien wondered if he did anything to embarrass her again. She spoke up before he could.

"I-it's good to see you, Adrien."

The words were brief, but they were enough to put him at ease. His smile warmed as he looked down at her, and he belatedly realized Marinette had changed since he last saw her. Though the change in her height was little to none- she only could have grown an inch or two at most- she seemed a bit more mature somehow than before. She was a little less dainty and her hair was a little longer, the ends of her pigtails falling past her shoulders. Even with these small changes, her demeanor towards him remained the same. She always had been nice to him, if not also shy, and Adrien thought it was no mystery why Ladybug would be acquainted with such a girl.

"Thanks, Marinette. I'm glad I could see you too." They shared a pleasant silence for a moment before Adrien mustered the courage to confirm his suspicions. He tilted his head and struggled not to seem too curious. "So… Who told you I'd be at the park today?"

Marinette widened her eyes and averted her head. "Oh, um, well. I-it's a secret," she answered, her blush intensifying. Somehow, it was all the confirmation he needed. Adrien gave a quiet laugh and thought back to his encounter with Ladybug; he wished it was possible for him to thank her.

Marinette peered back up in time for Adrien to place his hand on her shoulder. "Let's catch up with the others?" he offered, gesturing to Alya and Nino. He brightened as she nodded her head and they rejoined the couple to explore the zoo. The two welcomed them back with eager conversation and they all roamed the place with no real objective aside from fun. At some point they ran into the bearded zookeeper by the panthers, and Adrien mused that the animals were much more enjoyable when they weren't running rampant around the streets. Regardless, the animals were of little significance compared to the company of his friends. The reality was he hadn't paid the creatures much mind.

In summary, Adrien was having the best time he's had in a long time- so much so he managed to forget that his disappearance was going to get him in plenty of trouble. Not only did he run away, but he did so in the midst of a job. Every ten minutes he expected to find someone to pull him away from this small lifeline, throwing him back into the rigid world of work, but with each interval his anxious anticipation dwindled. To his luck, two hours passed and neither Nathalie nor the Gorilla appeared to retrieve him.

In the end, Nathalie and the Gorilla weren't who he had to worry about.

"Let the kids run free; they'll be perfectly fine! Don't hassle yourself taking care of them!" an unfamiliar woman sang out, causing the group to turn their heads. Though Adrien thought that was a _terrible_ idea, it all made sense once he caught sight of the woman in question. She stood atop a cage of tigers in attire that resembled the leotards of lion tamers, her skin tinged an uncanny orange pallor. Voluminous brown hair flowed down her shoulders and in her hand was a golden whip that looked like it was decorated with rubies. The group gasped in sync as the woman swung her arm and sparks flew in the direction she snapped the whip. The sparks fizzled over a cluster of adults with children, compelling all of them to look down at their charges before running off in multiple directions. The woman cackled before jumping down and looking at all four of them next.

"Friends? Who needs them? You're better off spending time by yourself!" There was another crack of her whip, but this time the four of them managed to run off in opposite directions, splitting them into two. Adrien glanced at Marinette and willed an excuse to form in his head under such short notice.

"Go find someplace to hide! I'll call someone to help Alya and Nino."

Marinette opened her mouth like she wanted to protest, but the screams from their friends as the new villain pursued them made her press her lips together and run off. Adrien grit his teeth and ran to the closest corner he could find.

"Finally, some excitement!" Plagg enthused with a mischievous glint in his large eyes, and Adrien couldn't help but bark a laugh. It had been a while since he was able to join in a fight. Better yet, he was there before Ladybug.

"Alright, Plagg. Transform me!"

Not half a minute later, Chat Noir was out at the scene. He smirked at his own early arrival until he noticed Ladybug already swinging her yoyo at the villain. The unnamed woman parried her swings with her whip and sighed.

"Ladybug, Ladybug. Why don't you hand over your Miraculous and make this battle faster?"

Ladybug scowled as the woman brought back her whip and snapped it again. Before it could send sparks flying in her direction, Chat Noir diverted the blow by jumping in with his staff.

"Chat Noir!" both Ladybug and the other woman called out at once, the villain disgruntled and Ladybug elated. Chat Noir lowered his weapon and smiled, though his attention was still focused on the woman.

"Sorry, Madam, but my lady is the only one who can tame this cat." Chat Noir spared a glance back at said lady to wink, not at all surprised when Ladybug responded with a roll of her eyes. Although, Ladybug did smile. The villain snorted.

"My name is Ill Adviser, and I _advise_ you to stay out of the way before you regret it."

The woman raised her whip again, though Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped out of the way in time to dodge its wrath. A smirk spread across Ill Adviser's orange lips, and without another word she swung her whip to a tree and projected herself away from the heroes. The pair watched in stunned silence as they stood in the middle of a now empty zoo, save for the animals.

Chat Noir cleared his throat. "Have you missed me, Ladybug?" He reached to drape his arm around her shoulders, which the spotted heroine allowed with a sigh.

"This really isn't the time, Chat Noir," she reminded him, her contented smile contrasting her narrowed eyes. She squeezed the hand on her shoulder once before pulling it off her. "For what it's worth though, I did."

Just as soon as she finished the statement Ladybug took off into the sky, taking his heart with her. He warded away his giddiness for the time being by reminding himself there was an akuma to take care of, and without further delay he followed after his partner. There was no helping the smile that was glued on his face.

o o o

" _Seize their Miraculous and end all these battles once and for all!"_

It was a command Ill Adviser had been using on all the people she came across for the past three hours, and- long story short- it was making it exponentially difficult for Ladybug and Chat Noir to retrieve her weapon and break it. Once, Ladybug almost managed to take it away from her, until one of the cops Chat Noir had been holding off slipped through and attempted to tackle her. The sun had set seemingly forever ago and the fight was dragging on to become one of the longest battles the two had to suffer through. There was never even a good time for Ladybug to utilize her power.

"If you want to get me, your best chance is up here!" Ill Adviser called out as she suspended herself on one of the lower beams of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked to each other with shared grimaces. The remark wasn't followed by a mind-manipulating attack but it still sounded like an awful strategy. Even so, a crowd began to encircle them on the ground beneath the tower, leaving them no choice but to start climbing. Ladybug groaned when Ill Adviser laughed as soon as they made contact with the tower. She hesitated climbing further.

"Not that I don't love spending time with you Bugaboo, but we're gonna get tired if we don't finish this up soon," Chat Noir noted, stopping his climb to wait for her. Ladybug bit her lip.

"I just have a really bad feeling about this..."

He tried not to let the words resonate too deeply, though the dread did manage to slip in under his armor. He shook his head as if he could shake off his thoughts, and the two kept jumping up the Eiffel Tower as it lit up the black-blue sky. Ill Adviser waited for them at the halfway point, leaning her weight to the side and swinging the end of her whip in leisurely circles. Her eyes examined Ladybug while the heroine gripped onto her yoyo. Then she focused on Chat Noir.

"I'm being serious, kitty. Stay out of this. I can't hurt you."

The warning made Chat Noir tense. It wasn't ' _I don't want to hurt you'_ but ' _I can't hurt you_.' Even Ladybug furrowed her brow, but she didn't credit the words.

"Chat Noir and I are a team! He's not going anywhere!" With that, Ladybug cast her yoyo out to retrieve Ill Adviser's whip, but the woman ducked and snaked her weapon towards the feline-themed teenager.

"Time for this cat to take a break!" the villain hissed, a wild glint in her large green eyes. Chat Noir had no time to escape, backed against an open corner and his mind too frozen to chance jumping down and catching himself. He inhaled a sharp breath and anticipated the effects of the sparks, closing his eyes and cringing at the crunch of cracked stone.

Yet, when he opened his eyes, there was no sign of harm on him.

Instead, he looked up and saw Ladybug, as she stood in front of him with her arms crossed in front of her and her back facing him. Not only had she taken the curse from the sparks but the brunt of the whip's attack as well. He widened his eyes and grabbed onto her shoulder from behind.

"Ladybug! Are you alright?"

Chat Noir heard the villain's dissatisfied 'hmph' in the background, but his attention was otherwise consumed by the fear in Ladybug's eyes as she looked back at him. The red on her mask darkened until they were as black as her spots, as did the rest of her costume. The only place that managed to retain the ladybug-themed polkadots was a clumsy zig-zag across the front of her torso. His hand closed tighter around her shoulder as he caught sight of the prominent crack in her earrings.

"What-" His sentence was cut off when Ill Adviser's screech pierced through the sky. The heroes turned back and gaped as the woman clenched her throat and shook her head frantically.

"No! No! I didn't mean to break it! I can fix this!" she pleaded to what appeared to be nothing but air. Ladybug and Chat Noir knew better. The Miraculous was cracked and Hawk Moth was not happy.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted with unshakable resolve, never-minding her questionable attire. Neither had time to question the black blanket that dropped into her hands. The woman kept shaking her head until all of a sudden her feet lifted off the ground, the invisible force that was Hawk Moth propelling her into the night sky.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug snapped, but her partner already knew what to do. A loud ' _Cataclysm'_ echoed through the air and the boy took off along the edge of the tower, dragging his hand against the metal until the top half of the tower started to tip over in the direction of the girl's fall. Screams sounded from below, people running away from the scene, but Chat Noir stayed focused on rescuing the villain. As the tower fell, Chat Noir vaulted across it until he could cover the distance to reach her. When he did, he plummeted down and caught her in his arms.

"Close your eyes!" he commanded as he wedged one arm free to raise his staff into the air. A few seconds passed, but like clockwork Ladybug's yoyo coiled around his staff and jerked them to a stop, just before they would have collided with the street. Chat Noir sighed in relief, dropping the rest of the short distance down until he landed on both feet. His staff clattered to the pavement with him and the woman trembled at his side from fright. It didn't help that the top of the tower collapsed on the ground with an ear-splitting thud that deafened his sensitive hearing.

No one spoke as the tower's fall echoed throughout the city. Ill Adviser dropped to her knees in tears after the echoes grew fainter and fainter, and Chat Noir couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. Ladybug dropped down beside him and watched the woman with a sad frown. Her earrings, though cracked, still beeped, and his ring followed soon after.

Knowing there was no point in consoling a villain, Ladybug took the whip without any resistance. The whip broke with no more than a twist of her hands, and Chat Noir breathed a sigh once Ladybug purified the akuma with one bright flash. At last, the treacherous battle was over.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" the heroine exclaimed, seeming just as ready to be done as he was. The red and black yoyo sailed into the sky, and Chat Noir squinted his eyes to shield them from the bright light that would follow. Except, it never did. The yoyo fell back in her hand with nothing more than a dimming glow. Chat Noir felt his heart sink. He looked back at all the disoriented people freed from Ill Adviser's influence, all of whom took stock of the damage unleashed by the Eiffel Tower- all the damage that he caused.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out again, this time more desperately. This time the yoyo did not react at all, and Ladybug's earrings let out another warning beep. Her gloved hands clenched around the yoyo, bringing it to her chest. "It's not working!"

It was no mystery why. Chat Noir looked over the black painting over her costume and wondered how a Miraculous was meant to be fixed. It wasn't a piece of jewelry they could bring into a shop, and neither of them knew where that left them. His ring beeped and he steeled his nerves in an effort to ease hers.

"Your kwami might know what to do. We need to leave before our transformations-" Before he could finish, her earring started to beep incessantly. It was the same way Miraculous beeped when there was no more time left. They both tensed, each knowing there was no way another minute had passed, let alone a full five minutes passed since she used her Lucky Charm. He glanced around, finding no leverage close by for Ladybug to catapult herself away but instead a crowd heading their direction to question why the city wasn't cured yet.

Chat Noir could process the same realization in Ladybug's wide blue eyes, her lips parted as she struggled to conjure a solution. He noticed the black blanket in her other hand and snatched it just as the pink flashed at her feet. Chat Noir only got a glance of white shoes before the he draped the blanket over her, both the fabric and his arms encasing her.

"Hold onto me," he instructed. When she hesitated he clutched on tighter. "I can't leave you like this. We're going to get you somewhere safe."

She waited another moment, but at last Chat Noir felt her arms wrap around him through the barrier. He lingered in the embrace for a couple long seconds, the sudden intimacy of their predicament foreign yet comforting to him. The calls of Parisians behind him spurred him back into action, and the masked boy held his lady closer while he vaulted towards the shadowed rooftops.


	2. Chapter 2

There was comfort in being surrounded by complete darkness.

Marinette clung onto Chat Noir by the neck, unable to feel either the smoothness of his skin or the firm exterior of his suit, but still able to take solace from his warmth that seeped through the blanket. He carried her through the night with fluid leaps, never jostling her too harshly nor loosening his hold. There was no conversation; there wasn't time for that. Yet when he guided her onto a flat surface, she understood to stay underneath her dome. Even with the black obscuring her vision, she could see the bright flash through the fabric. The light from his transformation was green- much like his eyes. It was already a detail about Chat Noir which she never discovered before, and it was unsettling to think that there was so much more she did not know about the boy who saved her countless times. It would take one tug of the blanket and much of that mystery could be gone. She stayed the thought.

"You guys really did it now," a high-tuned but undoubtedly male voice commented. Its strange inflection gave away the speaker as Chat Noir's kwami, compelling her to think of Tikki. As if reading her thoughts, Tikki shifted against Marinette's neck. As the kwami phased through the blanket, however, Marinette realized it was not her worries but the other kwami that stirred the fairy-like creature.

"Tikki," Marinette called out, taking a step forward. The movement would have sent her crashing into Chat Noir, if his hands did not stop her by the shoulders. She hugged the blanket tighter to her. The Miraculous stone and Tikki were clearly linked, and she could think of nothing else other than her friend's safety. "Tikki, are you okay?"

No spirited voice came back to assure her. The only sound that met her question was the vocal sigh that belonged to the other kwami. Marinette bit her lip and felt herself shudder.

"Please. There's no point worrying over Tikki," the unfamiliar voice drawled.

"Plagg." Chat Noir's voice cut through night, and Marinette didn't need to see to sense the meaningful look her partner sent his kwami.

"What I'm saying is Tikki is fine." The words became a lifeline, and one which Marinette didn't hesitate to hold onto. "The magic slipped out of the Miraculous, but you can get it back. Probably."

"How do we get back magic?" Chat Noir asked, his hands gripping tighter onto Marinette. She leaned her head into his chest, too stressed to worry its implications. When she thought about it, Chat Noir steadied her the exact same way in their first couple of days as heroes when she doubted her ability as Ladybug, hands on either side of her as he attempted to solidify her confidence. The familiar gesture soothed her on the opposite side of the coin as well, as she feared losing her ability to become Ladybug entirely.

"Beats me," said Plagg. "But Paris is full of magic. I'm sure you can take it from somewhere…"

"Why isn't Tikki talking?" Marinette turned her head towards Plagg with an anxiousness that radiated from her obscured form. There was a pause in which neither Chat Noir nor Plagg could provide an answer.

"It would be easier just to show her."

The kwami's suggestion made her tense, but her concern for Tikki began to dominate her fear over having her identity revealed. Chat Noir released her and took a step back.

"Close your eyes, my lady." Marinette did not follow the boy's train of thought, but her trust in her partner did not dissolve with her suit. She nodded, shutting her eyes until she felt him pull the blanket from over her. Its absence left her feeling naked, but she made no protest. "Okay," her partner breathed out after a handful of seconds that felt like minutes. "You can open them now."

Blue eyes fluttered open beneath dark eyelashes, and the first thing she saw was a tall cloaked figure standing over her. The boy shifted underneath the blanket, fidgeting. If it hadn't been Chat Noir inside, his looming outline might have been intimidating.

"What can I say? Love is blind," he quipped in his usual flirtatious manner, except he followed the phrase with a nervous laugh, suddenly less confident and sure. It managed to build her first smile since her Miraculous cracked.

"Silly cat," she remarked with a shake of her head. She examined her surroundings then, and noticed Chat had brought her on top of the broadcasting building. A flitting black shape the size of Tikki caught her attention, who stared at her with wide green eyes and a wide smile to match. The kwami stared at her with mirthful glee, unabashed.

"So _you're_ Ladybug."

A red cluster of sparkles hovered in front of Plagg, cutting off any apprehension Plagg might have unwittingly instigated. Though the emanating glow took no solid form, Marinette recognized Tikki at once. She reached towards the sparkles and cupped her hands. In her usual fashion, Tikki floated into her grasp, and Marinette felt just as soothed by her proximity as she might have by a brush of the kwami's paw.

"Tikki."

The heroine shared a cathartic silence with her kwami, her expression soft as the red light reflected from her irises. Plagg, meanwhile, hovered by his chosen. He watched with a reluctant expression, as if he was about to form words that would physically pain himself.

"Well… I _could_ give some of my magic… But it'll make Chat Noir weaker."

Marinette turned her eyes, her mouth open from shock.

Chat Noir took a step forward. "Of course we'll do it, Plagg. Chat Noir is nothing without Ladybug!" His words were resolute, but Marinette furrowed her brow to argue him anyway.

"Chat… That's not true at all."

Plagg heaved another sigh. "You owe me ten wheels of camembert when we get home."

With no further delay, Plagg raced back beside Chat Noir. After some instruction the boy raised his arm, his hand and ring stretching out into the open air. The red sparkles drifted away from Marinette, following Plagg until Tikki's bright light suddenly submerged into the silver Miraculous. Chat Noir's hand recoiled as if stung by the action, and Plagg became nothing but a black blur as the red flashed inside the ring. A minute passed with both heroes waiting for feedback from their respective kwamis, until finally the red dimmed and Tikki raced out of the Miraculous that did not belong to her. Marinette let out a shaky breath and beamed as soon as she saw large deep blue eyes, relieved even if two of Tikki's tails were missing and the kwami donned a darker shade of red. Plagg returned to his normal self, though he made sure to let out a groan when he did.

Tikki still did not speak any words, but Marinette was just happy to see her take form again. The kwami nuzzled against Marinette's cheek and the two exchanged smiles, then Marinette glanced back in the direction of her partner. The boy stood with an endless patience that provoked a rush of appreciation to crush over her like a tidal wave. In one night alone he made a nightmare of a disaster seem a little less bleak, whether it was with light-hearted words, supporting hands, or unquestioning dedication. For all his absences, there was no room to doubt Chat Noir gave his all to be there for both Paris and his partner. No one knew how integral Chat Noir was to Ladybug. Sometimes, not even herself.

She reached for his face and rested her hand against what she hoped was his cheek. She wished she could see him, so that she could convey all the gratitude words alone couldn't quite cover. His hand soon covered hers, revealing a large hand she had never seen without claws.

"Ladybug?"

It was only her name, yet she fought the blush it incited in vain. Still, she smiled.

"Thank you, kitten. I'm glad you were here with me."

Although she could not see it, she could hear him swallow back his immediate reply. His arms hovered around her waist, and Ladybug did not wait to close the distance in a tight hug.

They realized at once that the gravity of their dilemma had only just begun.

They silently agreed they'd get past it together.

* * *

By the time Adrien finally left the rooftop, he was greeted by the shrill ringing and flashing lights of sirens, from police cars and ambulances alike. They blared their way across streets with the occasional fire truck accompanying them, and Adrien directed his attention towards the fallen Eiffel Tower. The country's trademark pillar no longer stood to its prior magnificence, stripping the Paris sky bare. Its fall created a chaos like no other Paris had seen in many years. Buildings had caught on fire and several people were injured- all of which were supposed to be preventable by Ladybug's unrivaled abilities. Not only had Chat Noir's rustiness paired with Ladybug's exhaustion created a battle that was much more difficult than it should have been, they were helpless to fix the damage.

It was all his fault.

Nothing abated the gnawing guilt. Adrien walked the streets without company, Plagg too drained of energy to stay awake even with all the noise. Ladybug's earlier embrace, though treasured, also did little to ward away the self-blame. Everything was made worse when Adrien turned on his phone and read it was ten-o'clock at night, making it roughly six hours since he ran away from supervision. There would be nothing good waiting for him at home either.

He entered the property with swallowed back dread. Adrien attempted to present himself in a collected manner, knowing his father would be more disatisfied if he let on to any of his distress. When he opened the front doors, he was stunned to find no one waiting for him. The cameras should have alerted his presence with ample time to be trounced, which signified both Nathalie and the Gorilla were either sent home or still out looking for him. Adrien considered it a small blessing. He closed the door silently, watching his footsteps to sneak about his own house.

The boy only managed four steps when a thunderous clatter echoed from the dining room.

"This book says nothing about fixing the Miraculous!"

The thick wooden doors could not muffle the sheer volume of Gabriel Agreste's voice. The tone sent ice-cold fear straight through Adrien's heart, and that was before he could take the time to register the words. His father maintained all the piercing scorn Adrien had begrudgingly gotten used to in the presence of those who irritated his father in the professional world, but Adrien had never heard his father outright shout. His father was the one who drilled in the necessity for composure, and it was rare for the famous designer to break his cool demeanor- especially for anger. It was all the more reason for Adrien to retreat into his room while he still had the chance. It was the words that made him come closer towards the closed doors instead. Plagg rustled inside the collar of his shirt as Adrien leaned his head against the doorway.

Gabriel lowered his voice, though his rage was still evident. "Is there or isn't there, Nooroo? I have no time for incompetence."

"Yes, Master…. There is." The voice was new and strange, but Adrien felt sorry for whoever was at the other end of his father's terror. There was no missing the dejection that weathered the stranger's voice. Plagg, to Adrien's surprise, had a stronger reaction. The once drowsy kwami raced to the door with his eyes flared and his mouth curled.

"Out with it then. I haven't wasted all this time trying to obtain the Miraculous for it to end like this. Do you understand?"

That was the moment Adrien widened his eyes and took a step away from the doorway, everything clicking into place in the worst way possible. Plagg seemed to have realized before he did, the kwami turning his head to examine Adrien with an openly concerned look.

"Adrien?" Plagg asked, his voice quiet.

Adrien brushed his fingers against his ring, thinking back to all the times he and Ladybug fought one of Hawk Moth's akumas. Of course his father was nowhere to be seen- Gabriel Agreste was always at work. How could it mean he was off victimizing Paris? Yes, his father was not the friendliest person to grace the fashion industry, but a super villain? His father was not evil. His father was not the type of man who hunted people in their time of weakness so they could terrorize the city. His father was not the type of man who endangered the lives of teenagers and children alike. His father was not the type of man who could throw a woman off the Eiffel Tower to her death.

But his father was a very different man ever since Adrien's mother disappeared.

Muffled voices continued to converse behind the doors, but Adrien could not bring himself to listen. His fingers dropped from his ring as soon as he remembered all his confinement via Gabriel Agreste- the rigid schedule that allowed him little time as Chat Noir. His thoughts went back to the akumatized woman from only an hour ago, her low warning also a plea.

" _Stay out of this. I can't hurt you._ "

Everything became clear the moment one of the doors clicked open. Plagg went back into hiding and Adrien stared up at the the towering frame of his father, who stilled at the sight of him at the doorway. The shock was visible through the subtle parting of his father's mouth and the immediate disappointment in his father's gaze. Adrien wished he could deny everything. The images reconciliated too well to allow him that.

"Adrien," his father started, his voice stern. Adrien might have laughed that his father could pass this off as another opportunity to scold him, but he was too conditioned to resign under his father's blunt chastising. To think Chat Noir would cower before Hawk Moth because of a lecture. A silence stretched between them as they wordlessly accepted the open knowledge between them.

"Your behavior has left me no choice, Adrien." His tone was lower than it normally would be, but his eyes were also focused on the floor instead of Adrien. Something about the seemingly small difference set Adrien on edge. It was the only abnormality the model could detect, but it signified the starkness of the situation like the smoke of a gun. Gabriel Agreste rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder, and Adrien felt too powerless to stop him. Adrien used the shattered fragments of his strength in order to stare up at joyless gray eyes.

"Why?" he forced out, his green eyes wavering with the conflicting desires to understand and to rebuke. His father said nothing in response, dead set on ignoring the betrayal and confusion pooling within green irises. Gabriel's brow furrowed and his grip on Adrien's shoulder tightened.

"Give me your ring."


End file.
